


A Bloody Mess

by cyphersushi



Category: Justified, Leverage
Genre: Established Relationship, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-23
Updated: 2010-11-23
Packaged: 2017-10-29 15:47:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyphersushi/pseuds/cyphersushi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raylan and Eliot are holed up in a tiny little cabin fighting off thugs and Raylan thinks back to where it all began.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bloody Mess

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: The lovely raggedy_edge  
> Written for canadiangodess to go with her art for Pictures to Words.  
> Master Art Post: [Art!](http://canadiangoddess.livejournal.com/93444.html)

”This is not where I imagined I’d be spendin’ my evenin’ I’ll tell you that.” Raylan Givens told the mostly unconsious man in the corner. Hair had come loose of his ponytail and he looked slightly worse for wear but no doubt about it, it was Eliot Spencer, a man who’d made Raylan’s life take an unexpected turn just a few short months ago.

***

 _The air was heavy with the late summer scents and the humidity made clothes feel more like a second skin than anything else. It was his night off and Raylan was determined to enjoy it. He’d just come off a three day long grueling chase after an escaped convict in the swamps so all he’d wanted when he got back was a shower, a drink and maybe some company that wouldn’t try to shoot him. The first part had been accomplished and already he felt better for it. He walked along the boardwalk aiming for his favorite bar when he first glimpsed Eliot Spencer, he couldn’t help but notice the powerful man with the striking eyes as he passed him in the street. There was just something about him._

 _He took his customary spot in the corner (back to the wall, great view of the exits and close to the back door) and nodded to Shelly the waitress to bring him his usual beer and bourbon chaser. He mighta moved away from Kentucky but you couldn’t take it all outta him. She acknowledged him with a smile and wink and he settled back to scan the room. His eyes slipped over tourists and regulars, neither setting off any bells, until he came to the man he’d seen on the street. The way he’d chosen the other corner and was doing exactly the same as Raylan himself made him wary He hoped it was just another slightly paranoid law enforcement officer but something in those annoyingly blue eyes told him he was hoping in vain._

***

Another shot slammed into the wall, no doubt causing a small cloud of pulverized concrete on the outside and Raylan had to admire the tenacity of the attacking thugs. Although the fact that they kept firing without any targets in sight revealed them to be of less than average intelligence. There were doing a good job wrecking the small cabin he’d rented for the week though.

“Your friends aren’t being very gentle with the exterior here, Eliot. They must be wanting to get their hands on you pretty bad…” He didn’t expect an anwer, thinking the other man was still out of it, but Eliot’s head was harder than most.

“… Not m’ friends,” he mumbled, sounding groggy still.

“Yeah, I kinda got that. You ok there?”

Eliot grunted and shifted, only to flinch as his battered muscles protested the movement.

“Might not wanna do that… they got you pretty bad.”

“… ’m fine…”

Raylan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sure you are. There’s some ibuprofen next to you if you reconsider though.”

Another shot, this one hitting the frame of the already shot out window Raylan was crouching under. Fragments of glass glittered as the last rays of sunshine hit them. Maybe night would bring some respite; the advantage would be theirs when the darkness settled and the knuckleheads outside would have to be content with watching. Raylan really hoped so, he wanted to look over Eliot’s injuries without risking an assault on the small building.

***

 _Raylan felt a familiar twist in his stomach when his eyes met the very blue ones of the man in the corner again. He swore under his breath as he felt that part of his brain that more often than not got him into trouble over a pretty face take over. Still. He couldn’t help smiling at Blue Eyes and it widened when he got a smirk in return. Screw his paranoia, he deserved some simple pleasures._

***

They’d ended up in a motel that night and just thinking about it made Raylan smile again, then his eyes fell on Eliot’s battered body and the smile faded. He knew Eliot’s work put him in situations like this, taking a beating was his job, but this looked worse than any of the other times he’d come to Raylan for help. The last of the sunlight disappeared as the sun sank beneath the horizon and the only light left was that from the yet intact porch light.

“... how many?” The rattle from the bottle of ibuprofen accompanied Eliot’s mumbled question

“I know I got at least two, maybe more, but they mighta gotten some reinforcements in. With the lights gone we should either get stormed or be safe for a while though.”

“… I’m sorry I dragged you into this. Not your fight.” He sounded more lucid now, more like himself and Raylan felt relieved. Seeing Eliot knocked out shook him more than he really wanted to admit. The other man must have pulled himself to Raylan’s door on pure willpower because as soon as he’d warned about the pursuers his eyes had rolled back and it was all Raylan could do to get him to the corner where he now sat.

Eliot dry-swallowed a few of the pills and Raylan grimaced.

“Don’t worry about it. I could have just turned you away when you knocked.” Except he couldn’t have. No, somehow Eliot Spencer had rooted himself in Raylan’s heart far too hard without him really noticing how.

***

 _Raylan let out a bark of a laugh as his back hit the wall of the ratty motel room. Eliot smirked that damned smirk again and followed him, covering him with his body despite being shorter. Raylan slid his fingers into Eliot’s long hair and brought his face up for a rough kiss. It was a fight, or maybe a dance, and it was one both of them had played many times before. But not like this, not with an equal. There was no need for gentleness, no need to hold back. Raylan finished the kiss with a bite to Eliot’s lips before flipping them so Eliot was the one against the wall. Another bang, and if there was an answering annoyed one from the other side both of them ignored it._

 _Raylan unbuttoned Eliot’s shirt with nimble fingers and found a smirk of his own as he sank to his knees and continued with the buttons on Eliot’s jeans. Peeling back the layers of clothing he finally got to bare skin, the musky, manly smell made Raylan’s mouth water. It’d been a long time, way too long a time. He pushed back the memory of that other time and that other man even though he could almost smell the coal dust in the air once again. He took his time, covering Eliot’s cock with licks and kisses until a warning growl pulled a smile from him before he sealed his lips around the head and sucked none too gently. The growl turned into a moan and he chuckled. Oh yes, he’s missed this._

 _Raylan brought Eliot to the edge and then backed off, then he did the same again, the third time Eliot grabbed his hair and held him in place, fucking down his throat until he came with a groan and a surge of bitter fluids. When he released Raylan his hand stroked over his cheek almost apologetically but Raylan met his eyes and smiled, showing that it was ok. Welcome almost. Eliot smiled back before he closed his eyes again and let his head fall backwards against the wall._

 _Raylan got to his feet with some difficulty. He’s not a teenager anymore and the raging hard-on wasn’t helping. He leaned into Eliot and nuzzled his neck, hinting heavily that as far as he was concerned they weren't done yet. There was more to come._

***

No attack came, maybe someone forgot to charge the night vision goggles, and Raylan decided to chance it. He left his post at the window and moved in a crouch towards Eliot’s spot in the corner. The walls were thicker here, it would take something seriously large to break through them and it was the safest place in the small building.

“Come on, let me look at you…” The damage looked worse so close. A black eye, split lip and what looked like it would become an impressive rainbow of bruises. Raylan knew this was not unusual damage for Eliot though, and if this was all it was he could breathe a little easier. He reached for the hitter’s shirt. “So tell me, any stab wounds, gun shot wounds or broken bones?”

Eliot hissed softly when the shirt unstuck from his chest but he also shook his head. “I think they stuck to blunt objects, mostly feel tenderized… got a plank to the head but that’s the worst of it.”

It wasn’t quite true, there were a few scratches that could only have come from a short bladed knife, but in general Eliot’s assessment was correct. He looked like he’d gone a round or two with a large troll and he would be stiff and sore for a week or two, but there were no permanent damages as far as Raylan could see and he couldn’t help but grin. This did not bode well for the thugs outside.

“You’ll live… might even have a fight or two in you still. How’s the head?”

“Pounding like I got seriously wasted last night but still attached…”

“Good. Time to get to some plannin’ then.”

“How about I go out there and kick their asses?”

“They have guns and are expecting us…”

“Point. You distract them and then I kick their asses.”

“Hmm… how abouts we sneak out the back and take em out one by one?”

“There’s a back door?”

“No, but very thin walls if you know where to look.”

“… ok. Wanna give them an hour or so too get tired and unfocused?”

“Sounds about right.”

Both of them were grinning now, and Raylan couldn’t help but wondering if the two of them teaming up in the first place was a good or bad thing.

***

 _Raylan hissed when Eliot bit down on his shoulder to muffle his moan. The shorter man had pushed him back against the bed and before he knew it Raylan was balls deep and surrounded by heat, fighting to not come embarrassingly fast. Eliot was impaling himself on Raylan’s cock again and again shifting to find the best position and driving him madder by the second. The bed creaked under their combined weight and Raylan gripped Eliot’s strong thighs as he tried to arch upwards, wanting more, more of that delicious heat and friction. He’s babbling now, mumbling words without meaning as he looked up at the wild thing on top of him, shadows and light playing over features making him look damn near unearthly. Eliot twisted and fell forward again, a hand landing on the mark he bit into Raylan’s shoulder and he can’t stop a scream in time as pain traveled through him and turned into pleasure somewhere in the middle. His blunt nails were digging into Eliot’s leg and the bed creaked again as light flickered at the edges of his vision._

 _“Come for me darlin’…”_

 _The words were all it took and Raylan yelled as he let go, his body spasming with the force of it and he’s only dimly aware of Eliot coming again as well, warm heat splattering between them._

 _“Holy fuck…”_

 _“Nah, just the normal kind, darlin’…”_

 _And Raylan couldn’t help but to laugh at that. It really was too bad this was only gonna be one night._

***

The boards came loose with a minimum of force and Raylan handed them back to Eliot who got rid of them silently. It wasn’t long before he had a hole large enough for them to get out of. The moon wasn’t quite full and stray clouds made the night occasionally darker. They waited for one such moment before quickly and silently leaving the bullet riddled house and heading for the edge of the forest. Raylan held his breath as they passed the open ground but no bullets came and no cries of discovery either.

“It seemed most of them were set up around the entrance earlier. They probably didn’t move much,” Raylan said and Eliot nodded.

“Still, keep your eyes open. There’s always surprises.”

The air was cold and their breath was faintly visible but quickly dispersed by the chill wind. They moved slowly amongst the trees, keeping in shadows and staying near each other. Eliot suddenly stopped and raised his head, sniffing the air. Glancing at him Raylan did the same and yeah he could smell the same as the hitter… smoke. They looked at each other and grinned with wild anticipation.

The thugs had hid their little fire well. It wouldn’t have been visible from the house and the darkness hid the smoke. They hadn’t counted on their adversaries arriving from this angle though and the two of them had a perfect view of the campsite. Two of the black clad men sat around the fire and two more packs were visible nearby.

“Four of them, rotating shifts. They’d have to be over by the forests edge to get a clear view of the house,” Eliot said. Raylan nodded his assent and looked for ways to silently disable the two in the camp.

“Wait for nature to call or take one each now?” He looked at Eliot questioningly

“If I stay still these bruises will start to stiffen. Better to move now and have it done with.”

“As you wish. Let’s go”

***

 _Raylan expected Eliot to be gone when he woke up. It was the rules for one-nighters after all, minimize the amount of uncomfortable time by sneaking out. Except it didn’t seem Eliot played by the rules. Instead of being half out the door he seemed more than comfortable where he was sprawled, holding Raylan in place with a warm arm around his waist._

 _“Stop thinkin’, boy”_

 _“That loud, huh?”_

 _“Yeah. ‘M not goin’ anywhere at the moment so just go back to sleep.”_

 _“…ok. I can do that.”_

 _And he did. Later that morning he woke up again, this time to Eliot kissing a path down his chest towards his already awake cock. He went on to prove that Raylan wasn’t the only one who could suck a man’s brain out though his cock and Raylan came hard when he felt Eliot throat constrict around him. Still dazed it took him a while to get with the plan but when he did he gave as good as he got while Eliot held him down and fucked him, dragging another orgasm and another scream out of him by finding and repeatedly targeting his prostate._

 _The hotel room shower was way too small for two grown men but they managed, and if their laughter sounded more like giggling than anything else no one was there to tell. Over breakfast Eliot told a story of a heist gone terribly wrong but still ending up better off in the end, he carefully neglected to mention cities, dates or names but Raylan enjoyed it anyway. He paid back with a tale of a convict who’d made a run for it by growing a beard, impersonating a guard and eventually getting caught due to his love for a certain brand of burgers. As he finished his tale he turned his head to look into Eliot’s eyes and as he returned the smile he saw there he suddenly realized he was completely relaxed for the first time in a very long while._

***

Raylan felt his muscles strain as he fought to keep the headlock on the thug. The man was shorter than him but with quite a bit more muscle, it didn’t matter though and before long he felt the man go limp in his grip. He lowered him carefully to the ground and looked over to where Eliot was doing the same to his adversary. A radio crackled on the ground and both men froze despite the person on the other side not being able to hear them.

“… Hey guys, are you up for a switch? I’m freezing my balls off up here!”

Raylan lifted a questioning eyebrow at Eliot who shook his head. Instead he indicated the bushes and the two of them started to drag the unconscious thugs towards shelter. The voice in the radio first sounded worried and then agitated before it suddenly cut off. Raylan and Eliot melted back into the darkness and waited. Sure enough, before long a man in much the same getup as the other two came crashing down the path leading towards the house. Eliot let out a disproving huff and Raylan put a hand on his arm. They waited until the man had his back towards them in his search for his colleagues before they struck. A quick blow got rid of the gun and after the first yip of surprise, Raylan sealed his hand over the man’s mouth and nose while Eliot held him in a tight grip. It wasn’t long before the thug’s eyes rolled back in his head and he too went limp.

“One more the-”

Before Eliot could finish a shot rang out and Raylan felt the characteristic burning pain of a bullet wound in his shoulder. Everything started to move in slow motion and he saw the worry flash in Eliot’s eyes before he spun away from the force of the hit. He wished he didn’t know this sensation so well but he blinked as he tried to get his bearings straight again. A second shot rang out but no pain came with this one. A roar tore through the clearing and for a moment Raylan wondered if a wild animal had wandered into the fight but then he realized it was Eliot. His Eliot.

***

 _Despite the wake up that morning Raylan still didn’t dare to believe this … thing he had with Eliot would be anything but a fling, an amusement for the two of them. They went their separate ways later that day and Raylan filed it away as a good memory for lonely nights. That was until an e-mail turned up in his inbox._

>  _\---------------------------------------  
>  From: espencer@gmail.com  
> To: r.givens@usmarshals.gov _

_Subject: Bored?  
HI,  
I’m on a train and bored out of my skull. Not even any businessmen to scare. Heard this song and thought of you. _

_/E_

 _\---------------------------------------_

 _Attached was a YouTube link for a song by a country artist, Jace Everett, called Bad Things and Raylan smiled as he clicked it; expecting something amusing or maybe just plain enjoyable when instead a voice, not unlike Eliot’s actually, ground out lyrics that did things to Raylan’s body that were entirely inappropriate for the office. Luckily he was alone at the moment, the others gone off to lunch, and he had an open path towards the restrooms. He took a deep breath before getting up and walked somewhat casual towards his goal. Slipping inside he sent up a small prayer of thanks as the stalls were blessedly empty. Throwing the lock behind him he quickly fumbled his jeans open and got his hand around his cock. Hissing at the sensations he slid his hand up and down, spreading the pre-come around to ease his way. He imagined Eliot in there with him, pressed up close and whispering the lyrics into his ear. The end came embarrassingly fast and he felt his knees buckle. Fuck, he wasn’t a teenager any longer, what was he doing jerking off in bathrooms to fantasies of someone doing little else but talking?_

>  _\---------------------------------------  
>  From: r.givens@usmarshals.gov  
> To: espencer@gmail.com _

_Subject: Re: Bored?  
Hope you pleased with yourself, you sent me into the bathroom at work to… take care of things. Couldn’t get the thought of you growling those lyrics at me out of my head. Wish I wasn’t at work so I could tell you exactly what I imagined. Got a phone? _

_/R_

 _\---------------------------------------_

 _Raylan pressed send quickly and hoped no curious it-techs would peek at his mail today. He half expected a fast reply but there was nothing and finally, at the end of the day, he packed up and began heading home. He’d barely made it out of the office before his phone rang, the display showing a hidden number. Hope flared in his chest before he could stop it and once again he wondered if he wasn’t too old for infatuations._

 _“Yeah?”_

 _“That’s how you answer the phone? Not very official marshal…” Raylan could hear the smile in Eliot’s voice and unconsciously he smiled back._

 _“Hey, I’m off-duty. Not even on call today.”_

 _“I see, so are you at your car yet?”_

 _“Soon, why?”_

 _“Cause I wanna do bad things to you…” Raylan groaned and hurried his steps. He really needed to find some looser fitting jeans._

***

It wasn’t like he had never been shot before. In fact he was way too familiar with the feeling of his body going into shock, pumping out enough endorphins to make his head spin and the pain transform into a dull roar. Someone screamed and he was pretty sure it wasn’t him, no his jaws were hurting from biting down on any sound. It was someone else and when the sound cut off with a faint gurgling Raylan knew it had to be the other guy. The shooter the one… Eliot! As if summoned by his silent (or maybe he said it out loud) yell the man came into his field of vision. His loose hair stood out from his head in strange angles and Raylan realized with a start that he was on the ground looking up.

“I was shot…”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, darlin’… I’m sorry…” Eliot’s voice was rough but his hands gentle as he turned Raylan over to look at the damage. Raylan tried to hold in the pained groan when the movement pulled at the wound and send fresh spikes of pain through him. “Sorry, I just need to look…”

“’S ok. Been shot before…”

“Yeah, I know, still…”

“Need to move. They’ll wake up…”

“Not the last guy, but yeah. Can you stand?”

“Let’s see… little help?”

His head spun and every movement brought new pains. It was funny how it wasn’t until you got hurt you realized how everything was connected in the body, how the force of a step could transfer up into a shoulder and send spikes of pain in every direction. Raylan felt warm and thick blood trickle down his back, down to where Eliot’s arm was solid against his waist, holding him up and moving them forward through the dark forest.

Eliot was talking, low and continuous. “You’ll be fine, looks like it skid on your shoulder blade, made a mighty large gash but didn’t tear through anything more. Probably hurts like a bitch but you won’t lose the flexibility or range of movement. Really should get some stitches though. Make sure it heals neatly, stop the blood flow…” Raylan heard the words but his thoughts bounced like balls in a pinball machine, making new associations as they tried to stumble quietly through the forest.

“You like me flexible…”

Eliot interrupted his tirade with a short bark of laughter. “Yeah, I do. ‘S why you need to keep it up. Not go about getting shot like this.”

“Didn’ mean to.”

“Mmm… my fault. Should have seen him. Should have thought…”

“Not you…”

“You must be feeling better to argue with me…”

“Endorphins.”

“True. We’re just about where I hid the car. Let’s hope they didn’ find it.”

They were in luck, the thugs had apparently been so focused on following Eliot up to the house that they’d missed or ignored the vehicle in it’s rushed camouflage. Of course considering the state of the small Ford Pinto they might just have mistaken it for an abandoned wreck. Raylan lay down in the backseat, twisting to avoid the spring sticking up through the upholstery and pulling his legs in so Eliot could close the door and get rid of the branches and leaves they’d thrown onto the car when they arrived.

He must have dozed off, as he twitched awake when Eliot closed the driver’s door with a groan of metal and a curse. “OK, let’s see if this piece of crap starts…” Thankfully someone had taken greater care with the engine than with the outside of the car and it started with only a minor cough of exhaust. “Thank god for that… now let’s get the hell away from this place.”

The backseat smelled faintly moldy and not the least bit like the one in his own car…

***

 _It was insane, the car was parked in the middle of the Southern Florida US Marshals Office parking structure and anyone could walk by but still Raylan couldn’t bring himself to mind. He slid into the backseat and closed the door, pressing the button to turn the speaker on as he did so._

 _“You alone now?” Eliot’s voice sounded tinny though the little speaker but despite that it sent thrills down Raylan’s spine._

 _“Yeah, I’m in the car, as alone as it gets.”_

 _“I got the compartment to myself here, no one to hear me drive you insane.”_

 _“That’s your plan then? Corrupt an officer of the law with your temptations?”_

 _“Oh, darlin’, you were corrupt long before I came along… I could tell that night wasn’t your first rodeo…”_

 _“Yeah, might be… don’t think I’ve done this before though.”_

 _“Jerked off in the back of the car while someone tells you exactly what they wanna do with that skinny ass of yours?”_

 _“Mmm… yeah that. And I’m not skinny…”_

 _“I wanna force-feed you some of my mama’s fried chicken just to put some meat on those bones.”_

 _“Never was one to turn down some proper chicken.”_

 _“Good, cause the things I wanna do to you takes some stamina.”_

 _“Oh, yeah like what?”_

 _Eliot had a way with words you wouldn’t have guessed from his exterior. Raylan did his best to pay back in turn but it was him who broke first, his hand on his cock and a finger finding his own prostate, all on Eliot careful instructions. Maybe it was there in the car, his come cooling on his own chest, maybe it was even earlier that Raylan realized he was falling fast and hard for a man he by all logic should be hunting. Because his life wasn’t complicated enough apparently._

***

The next time Raylan woke up they just pulled into a parking lot lit by a neon sign advertising a 24-hour drug store. Eliot turned in the driver’s seat and fixed him with a look.

“I’m just gonna get some supplies, will you be ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine. Go.” Raylan tried to wave a hand but that sent another stab of pain from the shoulder and he settled for a wiggle of the fingers.

Eliot huffed but opened the creaking door and left with an “I’ll be back” and Raylan lay his head back down on the rough fabric of the backseat. He would be fine. If Eliot’s assessment was correct he wouldn’t even need a hospital. A bottle of whiskey and Eliot’s sewing skills would be enough…

The hotel room they ended up with could have been the twin of the one they’d had their first meeting in. Ratty 70’s decor and a bed with unidentifiable stains on the cover felt almost homey. Eliot dumped the bag of supplies on the bed, bandages, rubbing alcohol, needles and thread tumbled out of the bag together with two bottles of cheap whiskey.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up, darlin’…”

“If you’re my nurse shouldn’t you have skimpier outfit?”

“I’m gonna let you get away with that cause you’ve been shot but you better watch that tongue…”

“You gonna punish me?”

“Oh, you better believe it. As soon as we don’t look like the poster children of domestic violence I’m gonna have my way with you…”

“Gonna keep you to that.”

“Yeah… now take a good swing of this and stay still.”

Raylan grimaced but did as he was told. The water was cold and it stung when Eliot cleaned out the grime from the wound.

“Next time don’t go about rolling about in the dirt after you’ve been shot. It’s a bitch to clean out.”

Raylan chuckled. “I’ll do my best, wouldn’t want to inconvenience you…”

“Better not. OK, gonna flush it out now, lean over.”

Raylan cursed loudly as the water hit the wound and he watched as it ran red into the tub beneath him.

***

 _It was almost a month before Eliot came back to Miami but that month was filled with emails and phone calls, first mostly dirty and from Eliot’s side designed to make Raylan escape into the bathroom at work at least once a day, but later there was an equal amount of just plain communication between two people getting to know each other better and maybe even falling in love._

 _So maybe it wasn’t so strange that Raylan’s heart damn near jumped out of his chest when he saw Eliot leaning against his car one Friday afternoon and he could feel a huge grin spread across his face. His heart jumped again when an answering one lit up Eliot’s face. They barely made it to his little apartment before they fell into each other and it was many, many hours before they resurfaced again with a need for food and possibly a drink or two._

 _Eliot suddenly looked serious as he passed the bottle of whiskey back to Raylan over the almost empty pizza carton. “You know there are never gonna be white picket fences and after school specials with me, right?”_

 _Raylan smiled softly and accepted the bottle. “Never was one for the cookie cutter life anyways…”_

 _The grin was back on Eliot’s face as he replied: “Good. Cause I ain’t never lettin’ you go now.”_

 _“Sounds about right to me…”_

 _And then they didn’t talk much for another few hours._

***

Eliot worked fast but Raylan was still dazed when he tied the knot on the last stitch and he blinked owlishly when Eliot reached for his pants.

“Now, really?”

“Just a shower, sweetheart, we both need it.”

“Oh, ok. Yeah… shower.”

With Raylan hindering as much as he helped, they both eventually got undressed and into the shower.

After washing all the blood and dirt off they stood there, bruised and battered, leaning against each other until the warm water ran out and Eliot guided both of them back into the main room. They toasted with new painkillers, using bottled water to rinse them down, before slipping into bed.

As they started to drift towards sleep Raylan mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like “I love you” into Eliot’s chest and maybe Eliot sighed the same words into Raylan’s damp hair. Tomorrow they would have to handle this last life threatening situation again but for tonight they were safe in each other’s arms.


End file.
